Our Mission:
To stop domestic violence abuse for everyone through intervention, education and advocacy.
Our History:
Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc. was founded by Edee Greene and a group of concerned citizens in July of 1974. Initially, Women In Distress served as Broward County’s first refuge for homeless women in a modest four-bedroom home until a local tragedy brought light to the need for shelter for women and children in danger. Shortly thereafter, the agency’s founders were able to purchase a 54-bed shelter with generous contributions from Dr. Kona and Ruth Simon, and Walter and Peg Griffith, later expanding to 62 beds with a gift of a second 8-bed shelter from Lorraine Thomas. Women In Distress was now able to offer crisis shelter and support to victims of domestic violence and their children. In November 1995, the doors of the Jim & Jan Moran Family Center opened in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Family Center instantly increased our visibility, accessibility and capacity to serve more families. In 1999, Janet A. Boyle established a $1 million endowment for Women In Distress in an effort to help ensure the future operations of the organization. Mrs. Boyle’s generosity has established a legacy benefiting Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc., its participants and employees for future generations. Today, Women In Distress has expanded again in order to meet the increased needs for emergency shelter and services. In the Summer of 2011, the new Women In Distress Jim & Jan Moran Family Center opened its doors to the community. The new center allowed for the agency to double its emergency shelter and outreach services as well as offer new enhancements including a special population wing for families with special needs and a Broward Sheriff’s Substation.
Watch this video of our history and impact in our community:
COA Accreditation
Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc. is the only nationally accredited, state-certified, full service domestic violence center serving Broward County. This means that The Council on Accreditation (COA) has verified that Women In Distress consistently operates with integrity, credibility and the utmost level of quality. The accreditation process takes place every four years. Women In Distress participates in a detailed review and analysis of the administrative operations and service delivery against national standards of best practice. COA is an independent accreditor of the full continuum of community-based behavioral health care and social service organizations in the United States and Canada, and is one of the three leading accreditors of such service providers. COA is widely recognized by states and national organizations as an accrediting body with the capacity, scope, and ability to contribute significantly to the improvement of the behavioral health and social service delivery systems. Originally known as an accrediting body for family and children’s agencies, COA has earned public recognition from mental health and substance abuse organizations as well.
To view our COA Accreditation Certificate, please click here.
For more information about COA, please click here.
Women in distress – performance quality improvement (PQI)
Organization’s Philosophy of PQI: Women In Distress’s Performance and Quality Improvement philosophy centers around collecting information that will empower the agency to enact effective policies and procedures that will guide service delivery and administrative standards that are in line with the agency’s Strategic Plan. Women In Distress’ culture strives to provide quality and innovative services to domestic violence survivors that promote the survivors’ safety and self-fulfillment. The PQI process at Women In Distress is an integral component of the strategic planning process as it is the foundation for measuring the effectiveness of department operations, identifying areas for improvement and client needs and outcomes.
To identify areas for quality improvement, Women In Distress completes an internal analysis of the following areas:
- Operations and management
- Program Operations and Provision of Services
- Domestic Violence Survivor’s Diversifying Needs
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